The Rockford School District organized a series of community input sessions to gather feedback on an elementary school consolidation plan that could close up to nine...

» Read more

X

How we got here

The Rockford School District organized a series of community input sessions to gather feedback on an elementary school consolidation plan that could close up to nine schools. Parents, teachers, staff and residents are being asked to attend the meetings to hear what the district is proposing and fill out a feedback form.

Three options have been presented: seven buildings are closed; eight are closed and one school is built; nine are closed and two schools are built.

West View, Walker, Dennis, King, Kishwaukee, Thompson and Cherry Valley slated for closure and demolition. Option 2 adds Nelson School. Option No. 3 adds White Swan. The two schools would be built in the areas of Kishwaukee and Nelson schools and Cherry Valley and White Swan schools.

ROCKFORD — The Rockford School District is presenting to the public three 10-year plans to make all of the district’s elementary school buildings suitable for learning in the 21st century.

Each plan calls for the closure of at least seven schools. Plan B calls for building a school, and Plan C calls for building two.

“If one of these plans is passed by the school board without a single change, I’ll be shocked,” said community input chairman, the Rev. Dr. Matthew Johnson.

Susan Rotello, an Ellis Elementary School reading coach, was happy to hear that there could be a Plan D.

“That’s something I haven’t heard before,” she said. “That means they are listening to us.”

Tuesday’s community input meeting was the fourth Rotello attended, but she was joined by 20 others at Rockford University.

The district is in the process of adopting a 10-year, $250 million facilities plan, which entails not only demolishing underutilized and older high-maintenance schools, but making renovations or additions to other elementary schools.

Most of the money comes from a $139 million bond referendum passed by voters in 2012. About $50 million is coming from cash reserves.

Johnson, a Unitarian Universalist Church minister, facilitated the two-hour meeting. He fielded questions regarding the early-education and bilingual programs, magnet schools and regular elementary school programs.

According to the district’s plan, fewer elementary schools would mean more dedicated resources. Larger elementary schools — 475 to 633 students per building — would mean less jumping from school to school for art and music teachers, psychologists, special-education teachers, social workers and nurses.

While some in the audience questioned the reasoning behind eliminating schools and making classrooms larger, Johnson said, classroom size does not affect students from middle- and upper-class homes. It’s the students from disadvantaged homes, he said, who are at risk. He said studies have shown elementary schools with 500 to 700 students are ideal. “That’s the sweet spot.”

He also stressed that no teachers would lose their job in either of the proposed plans.

Anne Pirtz-Hall, a nurse at Rockford Memorial Hospital, wondered what the economic impact would be on the west side. Four west-side schools — West View, Walker, Dennis and King — are slated for closure in each of the three plans.

“When the economy does turn, we have to make sure the infrastructure (schools) is in place to be successful.”